Ashley sticks with the Merchant
by SevenSi
Summary: Selling something to Ashley is harder than he thought, but at least he isn't lonely. One word prompt to describe Ashley and the Merchant's interaction.


**Fandom: Resident Evil 4  
Pairing: The Merchant x Ashley Graham  
Theme set: Beta  
Rating: PG  
Not 'shippy', just fun to pair them up in humorous situations.**

This was written for a sentence comm.

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**#01 - Walking: **

She was walking so fast that she didn't even see the guy with tons of clothing on; Ashley felt the bulkiness of his person and saw that he carried something special for her.

**#02 - Waltz: **

"Welcome!" he said in a booming voice that nearly made her waltz right away from him.

**#03 - Wishes: **

The suspicious looking man covered up in that long dark bulky trenchcoat wanted to make all her wishes come true so he showed her some rare gems that even her influential father would never find anywhere.

**#04 - Wonder: **

Ashley sighed in exaggerated relief as she sat there wondering and fretting with anticipation, and she had to face the facts: Leon wasn't here and was obviously taking his time - so she waited and played cards with the Merchant.

**#05 - Worry: **

Her forehead creased as she watched the Merchant inspect the crown she gave him to inspect, but decided she wouldn't sell it yet as the prospect of having the gems to place them in the small holes would give a better bargain.

**#06 - Whimsy: **

The Merchant was feeling very generous and decided to give her a free weapon for sticking around with him.

**#07 - Waste/Wasteland: **

When she looked around his shop, she was shocked to see how much ammo was thrown away, and even more so with the amount of large and small bass on the water wasted.

**#08 - Whiskey and rum: **

Biting her lip, Ashley's curious eyes wandered over to the crate and barrel that was marked: rum for any trade and whiskey for a spinel.

**#09 - War: **

She swore that when she got back home to her father she would wage war on scientific experiments that were unethical; however, first things first, hide behind the Merchant when the enemies came to buy.

**#10 - Weddings: **

Ashley pinched herself - a stinging reminder that she had just turned 20 and had been a bridesmaid before she was abducted; though, looking at the Merchant, she wondered how old he was and if he was single.

**#11 - Birthday: **

"How old are you anyway?" – was the first thing she asked the Merchant when they were alone, and he was silent as a grave since it had nothing to do with buying or selling.

**#12 - Blessing: **

Her rescuer Leon had introduced her to the Merchant and she didn't care at first, but realized this was indeed a blessing in disguise.

**#13 – Bias: **

She always thought that guys who wore large, bulky trenchcoats were always hiding something illegal, and she was right as the stranger opened up his coat to reveal so much ammo for all the armies in the world.

**#14 – Burning: **

There was no way she would fall for someone like the Merchant even if he sold all the hot items such as top of the line firearms and incendiary grenades to blow up the entire continent.

**#15 - Breathing: **

"Isn't it kind of lonely here without anyone to talk to?" she breathed out with a tinge of frustration to the Merchant while her fingers idly traced the golden lynx, and his tomb-like reply was a slight murmur, asking her if she wanted to buy that piece.

**#16 – Breaking:**

As he heard a noise which sounded like something breaking around his shop; he nearly grunted out loud, hoping that Leon would get back to her.

**#17 – Belief:**

He had a strong policy and that was to sell to anyone and that included the President's daughter too.

**#18 - Balloon: **

At first he thought he was looking at a child when he offered to give a balloon, then raised his brows when he saw her equipped with 'ballistic' goods.

**#19 - Balcony: **

He pointed up at a balcony to her that obviously had a gem or something valuable.

**#20 - Bane: **

The Merchant was silently thinking to himself that when Leon gets back to retrieve Ashley, he must charge the U.S. agent double the buying price.

**#21 - Quiet: **

While waiting for her rescuer to save her again, Ashley Graham wanted to start a conversation with the Merchant and found to her disconcertment -_ silence._

**#22 - Quirks: **

Of all the places in the world for the President's daughter to be was with a guy that sold so much ammo, weapons, gear, and rare jewels that none of her friends would believe it!

**#23 - Question: **

When the timing was right, she wanted to ask something about how he managed to acquire so much ammunition to tell Leon later.

**#25 - Quitting: **

"I wish we could quit you!"- she yelled at the Merchant, stomping her feet, but alas, her shoulders hunched with dejection and acknowledgement: he was a valuable and much sought out man.

**#26 - Jump: **

She jumped down hard, only to land on top of the Merchant, nearly killing him.

**#27 - Jester: **

How strange that when Salazar - _that really short and funny looking character - _held her prisoner, she thought that he would be a great jester for any court and not some eighth Castellan; however, the Merchant secretly told her in a rare whisper that Salazar _was _a laughing stock in his family.

**#28 – Jousting: **

Leon was way too busy to start showing her a few moves in case some abductor came along, but the man whose wares were plenty told her that if she jousted with him over bargains, he'd personally give her away to the competitor.

**#29- Jewel: **

If there was a rare and exceptional jewel to be found, Ashley knew where to find it.

**#30 – Just: **

Uncharacteristically, he wanted to ask if her father was an honest and just man.

**#31 - Smirk: **

While the Merchant was making a transaction with the enemy, Ashley hid behind one of the barrels and listened with a smirk; he had charged them triple the price for small things such as healing aids and grenades.

**#32 - Sorrow: **

The tears wanted to flow out of Ashley as she lay there in a slump; her body tired from all the running and all the fear, and the Merchant felt really sorry for her, giving her out of his uncommon generosity an emerald for her troubles.

**#33 – Stupidity: **

The Merchant was quite surprised at the wit the President's daughter actually had; for on first impression, he thought she possessed an empty brain and a spoiled disposition.

**#34 - Serenade: **

As she sat there watching the Merchant arrange his ammo and weapons for the next customer, she heard Leon's familiar masculine voice from afar which surprisingly sent her friendly temporary companion singing out loud.

**#35 - Sarcasm: **

"You really sell all those weapons to the bad guys?" she said to him without taking out the biting sarcasm in her voice.

**#36 - Sordid: **

She was beginning to believe that it wasn't so sordid, being stuck with the Merchant and all his goods that could start world war III.

**#37 – Soliloquy**

His most famous saying was, "I've got some good things on sale, stranger!" that she _who normally didn't care what was sold unless it was designer stuff, _became curious as a cat.

**#38 - Sojourn: **

"Don't you ever travel anywhere else?" asked Ashley to the Merchant, and he replied in a gruff voice that he had brothers all over the place in secret rest stops so he didn't need to.

**#39 - Share: **

He took out a smashed sandwich that was beneath one of the Chicago Typewriters and offered it to the hungry young girl.

**#40 - Solitary: **

Being alone really sucked hard, Ashley bellowed out loud to the Merchant and then kicked herself mentally, realizing that the guy liked being alone.

**#41 - Nowhere: **

She hoped that when her rescuer left her with anyone, it would be with the Merchant again – she'd rather be with him than with the scary Ganados not knowing where she was.

**#42 – Neutral**

Okay, she took in with painful clarity; the Merchant guy was on no one's side – just like Switzerland.

**#43 - Nuance: **

Ashley Graham was a special girl alright, the trading man was thinking as he watched the how she moved and talked, but that wasn't what was attractive about her for it was all about the power she was connected to.

**#44 - Near: **

She could feel Leon close by - _she knew it, _and the silent guy next to her was happy too, because that meant her hero would buy something good from him.

**#45 – Natural**

It was only natural that he'd sell to the enemies too as Ashley hid inside the bin and watched the Merchant's interaction with them.

**#46 – Horizon**

She was abducted by some huge guy named Krauser, and prospectively would find out that he too bought some ammo from the Merchant.

**#47 - Valiant: **

Ashley Graham was really falling for that would-be-hero with the noble character, the Merchant thought with hidden amusement.

**#48 - Virtuous: **

While they sat there in the quiet stillness of his shop; he wondered if she would get all righteous on him over the phenomal amount of ammunition he had.

**#49 – Victory**

The sound of canons going off constantly was harrowing to Ashley's ears as she waited there with the Merchant; he nodded slowly to her as if telling her to be patient, then another second later, the sound of silence followed – Leon did it!

**#50 - Defeat: **

"Don't you say anything else?" Ashley cried to the Merchant in complete and utter exasperation, and the man in question just opened up his coat to ask, "What are you buying?"


End file.
